


Static Shock

by tigerclawblues



Category: Better Call Saul (TV)
Genre: Crushes, M/M, POV Multiple, this takes place around or a little bit before the first season, unwanted emotions get translated into buzzes and zaps in chuck’s evil little brain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:46:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerclawblues/pseuds/tigerclawblues
Summary: It's just a gift between friends. Nothing more, nothing less.But when a McGill is involved, things can get a lot more complicated.
Relationships: Howard Hamlin/Chuck McGill
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Static Shock

**Author's Note:**

> i've been really obsessed with better call saul lately. chuck is my fav character and i just wanted something nice to happen to him, honestly. so that's why i wrote this ^^

Howard walked up to the front door, tapping Chuck’s static electricity remover and feeling the light shock to his right index finger. He raised his fist in anticipation to knock, but stopped himself midway.

He took a shaky breath, momentarily moving his gaze down to his shoes. Then he straightened up, brushing off his newly pressed suit and fixing his hair. Behind his back, he clutched the gift tightly in his left hand. 

Gritting his teeth, Howard gave the door a knock. 

It took some time for Chuck to answer the door. Enough time for Howard to momentarily panic and consider running back to his car and taking off. Before he could do anything hasty, he saw Chuck peek through the curtains shading the small window on his door. His law partner narrowed his eyes against the sun before recognizing Howard, and broke into a sincere smile. The corners of his blue eyes crinkled.

“Howard,” Chuck greeted as he opened the door. He had a lilt in his voice that only came out when he regarded his friend. It never failed to give Howard a funny feeling in his chest. “It’s a pleasure to see you. If I knew you were coming over, I would’ve gotten dressed for the occasion.”

Howard couldn’t help smiling at Chuck’s outfit. A fuzzy gray sweater over grayer pajama pants. His hair was a mess and he wore a sleepy expression, as if he’d just woken up from a nap.

“It’s alright, Chuck. I’m just here to drop something off,” said Howard. “I don’t have time to stay long, I need to get back to work soon.”

“Is that so?” Chuck seemed to notice that Howard was holding something behind his back. He raised his head smugly, looking down over his nose at the nervous lawyer. “What kind of thing have you brought, exactly?”

Howard nearly froze in place. He felt the wrapping paper crunch in his left hand as he squeezed it.

 _Go on! It’s now or never_ , Howard told himself. 

Slowly, he revealed the bouquet of flowers that he’d been hiding. He looked away while presenting the flowers to Chuck, breaking into a sweat. Anything he’d practiced saying to justify his action was lost in the moment. 

It felt like ages before Chuck finally took the flowers from Howard’s hand. Their fingers brushed against each other, making Howard wince. Maybe he should’ve used his left hand to get rid of the static electricity, though Chuck didn’t seem to notice a thing.

Howard snuck a peek at Chuck, worried about what his reaction to the gift would be. Chuck was eyeing the flowers warily. His expression had fallen very neutral. Howard could feel his heart start to drop until Chuck spoke.

“Howard, these are beautiful.” 

“I saw them being sold at the store today. I remember you saying that marigolds were your favorites, so I just thought, well, I just…” Howard trailed off.

“These will make a fine decoration for my desk,” said Chuck. He gave Howard a kind, but very curious smile. Howard was about ready to bolt right then and there.

“Right. A desk decoration. That’s why I brought them; for you to use to brighten up your home. You know, Feng shui and all that. It can be a big mood booster, I’ve heard. And-”

“Howard.”

Howard’s head shot up. He realized he’d started rambling. A nervous habit of his that he thought he’d kicked a long time ago. “Yes?”

Chuck took a few steps forward, and Howard tensed up in surprise as he wrapped him in a hug. 

Chuck was warm, and he smelled nice. Howard tried to hug him back, but it seemed that his arms weren’t currently working.

“Thank you,” said Chuck. His voice was very soft, sincere. 

Howard finally gained the strength to hug him back. He felt a silly grin working its way onto his face. He wanted to stay here hugging his friend for much longer than the time they had. 

When Chuck ended the hug, he seemed a little embarrassed about his reaction. He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. “Well, I’d better let you get back to work,” he said. He was holding the flowers gently, like he was afraid to mishandle them in any way. “This was a wonderful surprise.”

“Yeah,” Howard was suddenly at a loss for words, only able to think about how nice it felt to be held by his friend. His grin still lingered on his lips, and he couldn’t force it down. “I’ll let you get back to your activities as well, Chuck.” 

Chuck snorted at the thought. “Activities, yes. I have much to get back to, I assure you.” He retreated back to his house, one hand on his door. “I’ll see you around?”

“Well, sure. I have some free time this Saturday if that works for you.”

“It’s a date, then.”

Howard wasn’t sure if Chuck had intended the double meaning with his word choice. It gave him a flustered feeling all the same. “It's a date,” he confirmed.

Howard left Chuck’s house feeling somehow nervous and relieved at the same time. His mind was buzzing, and his fingertips tingled with the electricity of connection.

-

Chuck sat at his desk, paging through an old issue of the _Financial Times_. His house was silent and he was alone, accompanied only by the light chirping of birds outside and the ringing in his ears that he attributed to EHS. His life for the past two years had been encompassed in this sort of silence, though occasionally he could hear the sounds of his neighbors outside, talking, laughing, enjoying the company of others. 

He wasn’t sure who his neighbors were. Some of them had moved in after he had become afflicted with EHS. They never visited. They most likely didn’t even know he existed. The only sign of life anyone could see around his house was his brother, who brought him his groceries and newspapers. Otherwise, with his curtains closed and the only light coming from dim lanterns, the house could pass for abandoned.

To say it was a lonely existence would be an understatement.

Chuck placed the newspaper on his desk and turned his attention to the flowers that Howard had brought him. Marigolds. Bright orange and yellow. He was surprised that Howard had remembered his favorite flowers. When had he ever mentioned anything about them? Evidently, Howard knew more about Chuck than Chuck himself did sometimes, which made sense. They’d known each other for a long time. Since Chuck had graduated from college and started working with Howard’s father, he’d helped Howard prepare for the bar exam. They’d worked closely together ever since, and Howard had an eye for small details about Chuck, even if they seemed trivial. 

The flowers livened up the usually dark, gloomy living room, and they reminded Chuck of his good friend. He appreciated them very much. The intention behind the gift was vague, and Chuck felt it was best to leave it at that. 

He shook his hand semi-involuntarily, as if trying to shoo away an imaginary insect.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a door being unlocked and opened. That noise might’ve been alarming to anyone else who lived alone. Not Chuck.

“Ow, goddammit!”

Chuck rolled his eyes as he heard a loud thunk. “Did you ground yourself?”

“Yeah, Chuck.”

There was the sound of rustling, and of a cooler being opened and filled with ice. “They were all out of _Oscar Mayer_ hot dogs. I had to get you the generic brand.”

“It’s fine, Jimmy.”

Jimmy entered the living room after dropping off the groceries. He walked up to Chuck’s desk, flashing some newspapers before his eyes like they were stacks of cash. “You’d better be ready, Chuck. This new issue of the _Albuquerque Journal_ is gonna knock your socks off, guaranteed, and…” he trailed off. His attention was quickly drawn to the flowers on the desk. “Where’d these come from?”

Chuck mentally smacked himself for keeping the flowers out in the open. If Jimmy figured out where they came from, he’d never hear the end of it. “They were a gift.” he stated plainly.

“From?” Jimmy pried, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“Mind your business,” Chuck replied. He reached out to Jimmy. “The papers, please?”

Jimmy danced away from him. “Nope, not until you spill the details.

Chuck rolled his eyes and pushed his chair in, pretending to ignore his brother by putting his attention on his typewriter. 

“Aw, c’mon, Chuck. No offense, but nothing interesting has happened to you for a long time. You can’t blame me for being curious. They can’t be from Rebecca… right?”

Chuck continued ignoring his brother. He narrowed his eyes as he reread what he had already written, typing a few new words.

“Are they from that redhead at karaoke a few years back? You know, the one who gave you the phone number you ripped up the next day?”

Jimmy began listing off the names of women he remembered Chuck meeting. Chuck typed, feeling the satisfying clack of the typewriter keys under his fingers. Maybe if he ignored him long enough, Jimmy would just go away. It had never worked before, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

Eventually, Jimmy sighed. “Alright, ya got me. Keep your secrets.” He paused. “You know, funny thing happened today. I bumped into Howard at the grocery store. He seemed… distracted by something. Pretty abnormal behavior for him. He’s usually on top of things.”

Chuck’s finger slipped and he hit the wrong key. He recoiled with a grimace. 

Jimmy, to Chuck’s dismay, picked up on this immediately. He raised his eyebrows. “Oh.”

There was a prickle of heat going up Chuck’s spine. He rubbed his neck, feeling a slight burning sensation in his fingers. “It’s just a gift between friends. It doesn’t mean…”

“Sure, sure.” Jimmy had finished his pestering for now. He’d gotten the information he’d wanted. 

An awkward silence fell over the living room. Jimmy placed the newspapers down gently and stood over Chuck’s desk, seeming like he had more to say. One quick death glare from his brother kept him quiet.

Jimmy clapped his hands together. “Well, I’d better get going. I’ve got a date tonight with Kim Wexler, a jumbo bag of popcorn, and whatever cheesy movie they’re playing at the theater.”

Chuck didn’t answer.

“Right… I’ll see you tomorrow, Chuck.” Jimmy began to leave, but then spun around. “You know, you can talk to me about anything, um, if you want to. I’m here for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Chuck replied as pointedly as possible.

Jimmy nodded. He still had that glint of mischief in his eyes as he left. As Chuck placed his attention back to his reading and writing, a persistent little thought nagged at the back of his mind. Without a shadow of a doubt, Jimmy was going to pester him about this later. And worse than that, he’d invited Howard over on the pretense of something ambiguous. Something neither of them had come to a conclusion on as of yet.

He could swear he felt a strong electromagnetism emanating from the power lines outside. It must’ve been a surge of some sort, because the electricity was prickling through his body and giving him an awful headache.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i'll try to write the next chapter soon if i can, as long as college doesn't get in the way :p


End file.
